<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
Inspirations For Songwriters (I F S)
IFS aims to INSPIRE YOU into ACTION
over 2,600 songwriters, music publishers, artists, and music fans
receive IFS
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/
<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

Please forward IFS to your songwriting friends

If you want RECEIVE IFS or
CHANGE your email address with IFS
SEND an EMPTY email to

difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

First again, I apologize for the strange Mandy message that went out
earlier this week. I've taken steps to decrease the likelihood of
such an episode ever happening again. This week I found a GOLD MINE
of songwriting inspiration, you'll find it in THIS IFS. There's still
time to ENTER the
AUSTIN SONGWRITERS GROUP 2004 Austin SONG CONTEST
for details drop by

www.austinsongwritersgroup.org

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today is the Fourth of March, and I share this each year.

March Fourth!
Written by Ande Rasmussen

We all love Christmas.
Halloween is scary sweet.
I'm thankful for Thanksgiving,
Boy how we eat.
Then there's our birthday,
which is really fun.
New Years Eve is festive
but we're a little tired come January One.

Easter is delightful!
Fourth of July fireworks are great!
Then there's St. Patrick's, Presidents, Valentines, Veterans, Labor,
Columbus, Flag, Fathers, Mothers, Martin Luther King, ...
How do we keep track of all these darn dates?

When I look at my one year calendar
March Fourth is my favorite day.
Nothing special happened in history.
It's just what that day has to say!

When you have problems,
March Forth!
When things don't work out,
March Forth!
When bad things happen,
March Forth!
When you lose,
March Forth!

When anything can happen
March Forth says it all.
If something does happen,
Get up, brush off, and March Forth,
Because we're all bound to fall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tommorrow I hope to catch Todd Snider at the world famous Cactus Café
in Austin.
http://toddsnider.com/toddbio.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The GOLD MINE OF SONGWRITING INSPIRATION

The other day I was doing a little web wandering and I discovered my
friend Helen Darling now has a website and a new CD. So I dropped by.
http://www.helendarlingmusic.com
When I browsed her LINKS I read the following about Craig Bickhardt.

Craig Bickhardt is one of those treasures that you rarely come
across. His voice can evoke every emotion and his writing makes most
want to throw in the towel.

So I clicked on Craig's site
http://www.craigbickhardt.com

As I explored his site I found Craig keeps a journal and shares some
entries on

"EXCERPTS FROM A SONGWRITER'S JOURNAL"

So I clicked on it and read
"ABOUT THE JOURNAL
On my first visit to Nashville in 1983 I began keeping a journal, a
practice that I carry on to this day. While much of it is concerned
with matters of little interest to anyone but myself, a small portion
of it might be found interesting to those pursuing, or interested in
pursuing the vocation of songwriting, especially as it applies to
Nashville. Generally speaking, I have avoided using names except in
cases where the names are a matter of public record, or in instances
where withholding the name would serve no purpose. Passages about my
family, friends, and colleagues are retained according to their merit
of shedding light on the difficulties and the mind-set of this
particular career. Allusions to specific circumstances are also
included as illustrative of the professional situations in which we,
as songwriters in a songwriting town, often find ourselves.
Contradictions will be found throughout. My experience has taught me
that many of us pass through recurring phases in our careers; times
when black becomes white and vice versa. I have not tampered with
what I believe to be the commonly shared extremes of fluctuating
perceptions. I do not necessarily write to be read. This writing is
an attempt at finding a chromatic scale in the chaos. I am
responsible for my own words and all opinions expressed are mine.
The most recent entries will be found immediately following. This is
obviously a work-in-progress and additions will be made on a regular
basis.

http://www.craigbickhardt.com/songwritersjournal.html#top

Then below the text is link called "READ JOURNAL"

I clicked on it and read his entries. It absolutely fascinated me.
It's probably the most REAL and INSPIRING words on SONGWRITING I've
stumbled upon since I can't remember when.

http://www.craigbickhardt.com/songwritersjournal.html#start%20journal

Now I'd like to read more, I think Craig should seriously consider
turning these and more excerpts from his journal into a book.

GREAT GREAT STUFF, now matter where you may be on your songwriting
journey I highly recommend you read it. That's the GOLD MINE OF
SONGWRITING INSPIRATION. I hope you enjoy it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nashville Star 2

http://www.usanetwork.com/nashvillestar/

The first episode of Nashville Star 2 airs on Saturday March 6 on the
USA Network Cable Channel at 9:00 pm CST. On this episode they'll
show the final 20 contestants. The judges will cut the list to 10,
then listeners will get to vote and decide which contestant who
didn't make the final 10 will also get on the show.

IFS member, Sheila Marshall from Austin is my FAVE

Saturday there's a viewing party at Ropers.
Sheila will be there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just Plain Folks announced the
50 2nd round finalists for their
JPF 2003/2004 Best Lyric Awards

Several IFS members are in the running, for those of you who made it,
I bet your hardest choice was which lyric to submit, congrats and
good luck

Here's where you can read all the entries and the finalists

2003/2004 Just Plain Folks Best Lyric Award
http://www.justplainfolks.org/ubb/Forum59/HTML/000010.html


Here's the list of who made it to the second round.
Remember, these are NOT the final 2004 Award Nominees.
These are simply the lyrics still in the running for a nomination
which will be determined after the Round 2 Voting takes place:

Original Lyric #: Lyric Title
Writer(s)

4: Yeah, God's Like That
Stan Good

5: Crazy Is My Name
W.L. "Bill" Cooper

6: Dog Tags In The Dust
Robert George

8: Tongue-In-Groove
Robert Kvinnesland

11: Henry Teel
Shandy Lawson

19: Cherokee Wind
Carl Towns

27: Seamus, Sean and Me
John Hagius

28: Night Games
Mike Dunbar

43: The Madlibs Song
Sandy C.

45: Welcome To My Life
Amelia Rose

48: I Won't Be Here Long
Harriest Ames

52: At The End Of The Day
Timothy A. Perry

58: That's What God Looks Like
Greg C. Brown

66: Dancing Shoes
Jim Moore, Dave Mackechnie

73: Memories of a Lifetime
Connie Fletcher

74: I Will Cry With You
Michael Thomas Ellis

78: The Man of Her Dreams is Jim Beam
Ashleigh Wehmeyer

79: Give Me Wings
Alan D. David

97: The Wind and the Stones
Bruce Madole, Julie Shephard

101: Cowboy in Chicago
Corky Bernard

103: I Was Dancin' With the Devil
Corey Parkman

113: Daddys Little Secret
CowboySlim

115: Blood and Adrenaline
Ozone Pete

123: The Virginia Waltz
John Campbell

125: Love Doesn't Divide, It Multiplies
Sonny B. Bell

131: When Cordelia Played
Zak Morgan

135: Complicated Woman
Anne Meredith-Will

138: When Dogwood Blossoms Fall
Elizabeth Marquez, Michael Ellis

144: You Made Me Laugh (And Mean It)
Matthew Fox

149: Duct Tape
Joe Wrabek

151: Better
Steve Brown

162: The One-eyed Babysitter
Robert E. Oxford

164: If Heaven Allows
Billy Ray Jarrell, Willie McCulloch

170: Two Letters And A Heart
Dan Fenstermacher

174: Blue Crayons Write The Best
Mario Spinosi

175: Amanda's Dreams
Timothy D. Brown

181: Sadly, Softly Beautiful
Erica Molz

182: No Easy Road (To Easy Street)
Bobbie Gallup

204: Some Day, Some Way
Kaley Willow, Wyman Griffith

206: Pink Ballet Shoes
Judy Hollier

213: Joshua's Moon
Graham Andrews

230: Big Man Of Steel
Butch Price

234: Mot Yumat
Marsha Caddle

237: The Hollow
Chuck Whiteside

238: Sweet Manhattan Melody
Colin Buckley

242: Holding Hands in Wal-Mart
Richard Berman

249: They Say
Paul Martinez

258: Decorated
Evyn Charles

262: Weapons of Love
Michael R. J. Roth

265: Let Your Soul Breathe
Janelle Donovan


We will email all the Top 50 Writers with more info and instructions
on what to do next.

Congrats to those who are moving to the next round, and thanks to all
of you who entered and helped with the voting. We'd love to have you
continue to participate in the next round of voting as well. Info
will be posted on the message boards on how to vote in the 2nd round.
That will take place later in March.

Thanks again,

Brian
Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks
www.jpfolks.com

http://www.justplainfolks.org/ubb/Forum59/HTML/000014.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Write on!

Ande Rasmussen
Editor and Publisher of I F S, Inspirations For Songwriters

Contact info is:

Ande Rasmussen
835 Martindale Falls
Martindale, TX 78655

AndeRasmussen@...
512-217-2728 cell

You can read my Bio at:
http://hometown.aol.com/anderasmussen/myhomepage/profile.html

You can hear a few of my tunes at:
http://www.soundclick.com/anders

If you want receive IFS or change your email address with IFS
send an email to difs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

FORWARD IFS to your songwriting friends!

IFS home page is
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS

All IFS messages are archived on
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/messages

Once you're in the IFS archive, if you're looking for something in
particular, you can do a key word search

I F S stands for Inspirations for Songwriters, I F S is an ezine for
songwriters filled with inspirational and practical information about
the art, craft, and business of songwriting. We want to help YOU
become a more successful songwriter.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
The entire text of
"Inspirations for Songwriters"
© 2004 Anders Rasmussen